Posted in: Disney+, TV | Tagged: X-Men '97

X-Men '97 Season 3 Update; Seasons 4 & 5 Being Discussed: Winderbaum

Marvel Studios' Brad Winderbaum offered an updated on X-Men '97 Season 3 and shared that talks are currently underway for Seasons 4 and 5.

Coming out of New York Comic Con (NYCC) 2025 weekend, Marvel Television and Marvel Animation's Brad Winderbaum and EPs Eric Lewald and Julia Lewald had some big intel to share with X-Men '97 fans. First, it was announced that the animated series would return for its second season in Summer 2026 and that it would be back for a third season. Those who attended the event were treated to a teaser trailer offering a look at Apocalypse, as the heroes struggle to get back home after being scattered throughout time during the season finale. But Winderbaum had even more news to share regarding the shows future – specifically, a fourth and fifth season. "There is definitely, more than possibly, more to come from 'X-Men '97.' We're talking about Seasons 4 and 5 now," he shared with Collider. As for how the recently confirmed third season is coming along, Winderbaum added, "Season 3 is… I've almost seen animatics for the entire season, and it is incredible. I saw an episode the other day."

"Well, first and foremost, it's actually the entire creative team. Same director, same producers, same cast, many of the same writers, and it's standing on the shoulders of giants," Winderbaum shared ahead of the NYCC panel when asked if there would be any major creative changes behind the scenes with the departure of original Showrunner Beau DeMayo. "One thing that makes 'X-Men '97' work so well is that everybody's rowing in exactly the same direction. Everyone that works on the show knows that original series inside and out. And we work very closely with Eric and Julia Lewald and Larry Houston [X-Men: The Animated Series creators]. They're here all the time reviewing material and talking to the artists. The second season feels very much a worthy successor to the first season."

As for what viewers can expect regarding the on-screen action, Winderbaum added that the tease of Gambit as the Angel of Death "certainly matters" and that "Apocalypse is a big part of season 2." Regarding Ross Marquand's previous comments that the season was "very, very dark" and that "a lot of people die," the Marvel Studios executive added, "I saw something about that. I would say that it is the same stakes as season 1. I wouldn't characterize it as a lot of characters die! It's not 'Marvel Zombies,' but like many great anime shows, like 'X-Men '97' season 1, mortality's on the table, and some of these characters want to do what's right at any cost."

X-Men '97 S02: Marvel Studios' Brad Winderbaum's Previous Updates

During Disney's D23 Fan Expo, Marvel Studios' Brad Winderbaum was joined by series stars Cal Dodd and Lenore Zann – and right from the start, we learned that the team would have the outfits that their comic book counterparts were famous for during Grant Morrison's run with New X-Men (designed by artist Frank Quitely). While a sneak preview was screened, it still hasn't been released. Zann shared that Rogue will be on a "hero journey" during the second season: "She's on a mission, and she's not going to stop until she gets what she wants." Dodd added that he was so happy that they are bringing back Bishop – teasing that all Hell breaks loose and he has no idea what's happening with him during the season. Along with Bishop, we also learned that Polaris, Danger (not Warlock, as originally reported), and Apocalypse will appear. But that's far from all…

During a screening of the first season of the animated series, Collider was on hand for a Q&A that included Winderbaum, supervising producer Jake Casterona, and director Emi/Emmett Yonemura. When it came to the topic of what they could share about Season 2, Winderbaum dropped a ten-ton tease, giving fans the heads-up that they should start brushing up on their "X" teams – because two of them will be making an appearance. "There's many teams in Marvel that have the letter 'X' that are followed by a hyphen. I would put it to you like this… there's two other X-teams in Season 2." We have a feeling that one of them could be a real "force" of nature and that the other one could be a major "factor" in what happens during the second season.

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